Attorney: JetBlue attendant in NYC flap resigned

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By 6abc Archive

NEW YORK (AP) - September 5, 2010

Steven Slater left the job at JetBlue Airways Corp. on
Wednesday, after he had been suspended following the on-board
antics he was charged with committing last month, attorney Daniel
J. Horwitz said. JetBlue had said Saturday that Slater was no
longer an employee but didn't give any details, which prompted
online speculation he had been fired.

Horwitz said he and Slater were still working out some details
with the Queens-based airline but wouldn't elaborate.

"He was not fired," Horwitz said bluntly.

Slater, 38, worked for JetBlue for about three years, though he
has spent nearly 20 years in the airline industry.

He was working Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh to John F. Kennedy
International Airport on Aug. 9 when, he said, an argument took
place with a rude passenger. After landing at JFK, he went on the
public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed had
treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and exited via an emergency
chute, prosecutors said.

Slater was arrested and was charged with criminal mischief,
reckless endangerment and trespassing. His lawyer has said a
passenger's "lack of civility" prompted his behavior. His next
court date is Tuesday.

Slater became an instant sensation and was water cooler talk for
days. Online, camps formed on either side of the debate, canonizing
or vilifying him, calling him a hero or a cranky brat.

Slater had said after his arrest that he loved flying and wanted
to return to work, and some of his tens of thousands of online fans
had urged the airline to keep him on. It's unclear whether he will
seek airline employment with another company.

JetBlue said last month that Slater was suspended pending an
investigation. It told employees in a memo that press coverage was
not taking into account how much harm can be caused by emergency
slides, which are deployed with a potentially deadly amount of
force.